750 ml bottle shared by Odeed! Nose was slightly tart and very fruity with some oaky notes of light vanilla; clear brown with a small beige head; flavor was sweet raisiny fruitiness, oaky bourbon, and vanilla! Very good stuff! Thanks Jake!

Muddy brown colour. Toasty, oaky aroma almost like a brown sugary barbeque sauce. There is a subtle fruitiness, bouncing between citrusy and tropical. The body is dextrous, with an enlivening hint of acidity. The flavour is fruity, with intensely vinous oak notes, mandarin and yuzu. Big clean malts and a whiff of smoke. Finishes with an alcoholic splash. Fantastically complex, with great balance and drinkability, as well as a keen sense of style.

UPDATED: JUL 31, 2008 Big thanks to Crosling for sharing this bad boy with me. Poured a deep, clear caramel brown color with ruby highlights and a thin off-white head that left decent lacing. Aroma of light oak, plum, and sweet malts. Flavor enters with a sweet malty hit that has light fruity undertones and a nice funky tartness to it, along with hints of plums and grapes that lead into a dry oak finish. Felt great on the palate and the finish was awesome. Really a nice treat that was better than I expected, and I was hoping for quite a bit. Thanks Nick.

Appearance: Pours a dark brown body with reddish-hued edges and a topped with a thin, fizzy, off-white head.
Smell: Aroma of handcrafted wooden fruits with notes of dark caramel, toasted vanilla, and a whiff of alcohol.
Taste: Lush, vinous fruitiness thatís quite sweet. Plums and raisins initially, but then you get some black cherry later on. Dark caramel maltiness. Hint of vanilla. Fairly easy on the oakiness. Thereís an accretion of tartness and alcohol character as it warms. Sweet finish hampered by thick, syrupy texture.
Mouthfeel: Medium-full body. Medium carbonation. Syrupy mouthfeel.
Drinkability: Fairly nice for a Quad (and an oak-aged on at that), though Iím finding it to be just a hair too sweet.

A slightly aggressive pour yields a frothy, initially fat-one-finger thick, amber tinged, tan colored head that sits on top of an amber tinged, very dark brown colored brew. When held up to the light the beer shows a brilliantly clear, jeweled, ruby color. The aroma is clearly oak influenced; a bit like Bourbon with aromas of vanilla, soft butterscotch and a finish that has spicy oak notes as well as a bit of boozy alcohol to it. Competing with the oak character, especially after my nose gets used to it, is noticeable a substantial malt and fermentation character; chewy notes of concentrated plum, brown sugar, toffee and towards the finish notes of toasted biscuits ad whole grain read crust; that last being quite substantial if you dig for it. The aroma is definitely oak influenced as this is the most dominant note, but I like that you can get a sense of the other components too.

Somewhat thick feeling which nicely complements a sweetness that is not too cloying and seems a bit complex. By complex I mean the sweetness incorporates flavors of fruit, caramelized sugar, and grain without being simplistically sweet (like table sugar). The oak character is quite a bit more subdued in the flavor, which is a most welcome surprise, but it is still quite evident, especially towards the finish. The beer ends with a spicy oak character, some tannic woodiness and some alcohol that combines with the oak to provide a bit of Bourbon character. Soft vanillin flavors and light buttery oak combine up front with the malt sweetness. Fruity notes of rum soaked raisins, concentrated plums (but still with some tartness), a touch of fresh jam-like berry notes and even a bit of tart / sweet cherry notes.

At times this beer can taste a bit thin, but a little bit of age should help this out. Age would also add some aged-malt complexity to this brew that is perhaps a bit too simplistic in that department as it is missing the complexity and heft of the best Quads. Donít get me wrong though this is quite a nice a beer. This is one of those brews that proves that at least some American brewers are getting that oak does not have to be overwhelmingly noticeable; oak as only a component of the flavor palette is where it is at.

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